Three firefighters from the United States were killed today as a large aircraft being used to battle bush fires crashed around 1.30pm south of the Australian capital, Canberra, the Rural Fire Service in New South Wales said. The cause of the disaster was not immediately known. The plane went down this afternoon as blazes were threatening parts of New South Wales, ending a brief lull in the country’s summer of disastrous wildfires. The aircraft, a C-130 Hercules carrying a load of fire retardant, was operated by Coulson Aviation, a Canadian company that helped battle last year’s California fires and has long worked in Australia. The plane crashed in the Snowy Mountains of New South Wales, about 70 miles south of Canberra, according to the Rural Fire Service. The Australian Transport Safety Bureau and the police were investigating the crash, an inquiry that could be affected by active fires in the area. Shane Fitzsimmons, the Rural Fire Service commissioner, said those on board the plane were experienced and well known to their Australian and American colleagues. “Our hearts are with all those that are suffering in what is the loss of three remarkable, well-respected crew that have invested so many decades of their life into firefighting,” he said at a news conference. The victims were not immediately identified. Gladys Berejiklian, the premier of New South Wales, said the crash was a “stark and horrible” reminder of the dangers and risks of firefighting. At least five firefighters — three in New South Wales and two in the state of Victoria — have previously been killed this fire season. The overall death toll from the bush fires now exceeds 30. The fires were approaching the suburbs of Canberra, forcing the evacuation and closure of its airport. As temperatures climbed and winds picked up, residents in the affected areas around the capital were told that driving could be deadly and that they should seek immediate shelter. Rain in recent days — a torrent in some areas, a few drops in others — had offered a small reprieve. But today, with temperatures soaring over 38 degrees Celsius (100 degrees Fahrenheit) in previously fire-stricken states like New South Wales, fire officials once again issued emergency warnings. By late afternoon, more than 80 fires were burning, half of them out of control, in the state’s south, including in the Snowy Mountains, the Rural Fire Service said. It added that it hoped conditions would ease as the evening progressed. NSW RFS bought a 737 aircraft from Coulson Aviation in May 2019 and contracted the company to operate the C-130 that crashed. The company has another C-130 operating in Victoria.
The aircraft was delivered new to the US Navy in 1981. It later served with NASA for experimental work from 1992 to 1993, at which point it was placed in storage.
Coulson acquired it in 2017 and converted the aircraft to perform aerial firefighting work. According to Coulson Aviation’s web site, its firefighting C-130s are equipped with a RADS-XXL roll-on, roll-off tanking system that can carry 4,000USgal of fluid.
Aircraft Information
Airline: Coulson Aviation
Aircraft: Lockheed EC-130Q Hercules
Registration: N134CG
Serial Number: 4904
Coulson Aircrane Ltd. founded in 1990 is a privately owned family company based in Port Alberni, British Columbia, Canada. The company has over 110,000 safe flight hours and has been in the aviation business for 30 years; operating a diverse fleet of both fixed wing and rotary wing aircraft. The company's operations include helicopter logging, forest fire suppression, power-line construction, airliner passenger transport and many other industrial heavy lift operations. The fleet is geared for mobility and self-sufficiency and is supported by mobile fuel tankers and aircraft maintenance service vehicles staffed with qualified engineers. These helicopter aviation services are provided to clients on a "turn key" basis.
THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS GO OUT TO THE IMMEDIATE FAMILY AND FRIENDS / STAFF AT COULSON AVIATION AND THE FIRE FIGHTERS
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